How to Personalize Your Classroom to Make it Feel Like Home

The purpose of decorating your classroom is to make it a functional place to learn.

However, the classroom is a place where you will spend the majority of your time, and it will practically be your second home. You are going to want to spend the time to create a comfortable, calm, working environment. Here are a few tips to help you arrange your space into a cozy, attractive atmosphere.

Personal Pictures

A great place to start making your classroom feel like home is by adding personal pictures. Hang pictures of your family, pets, or vacation. This gives the students an opportunity to see what your life is like out of school, and helps you feel like you have a piece of home with you at school.

Whenever you enter someone's home, you most likely step on a welcome mat. Why not place one outside your doorway? A welcome mat is an inexpensive way to personalize your classroom and make it feel like home.

Create a Comfy Reading Corner

For many students, school is a more comfortable environment than their own home. To help students feel safe and secure at school, place a comfy sofa or oversized chair in the reading corner. In addition to that, a soft rug, lamp, and a few bookshelves will make your reading corner complete.

Desk Lamps

Big fluorescent lights can definitely make a classroom feel like you're in the grocery store. Try placing a few desk lamps around your room to create a calm relaxing atmosphere. The softer lighting will not only help keep your students calm, but will make everyone feel more at home.

Plants

Studies have shown that placing a few plants in your classroom will improve students’ well-being and performance. Try placing an ivy or fern around the classroom to make the room feel homier.

Mini Fridge

What does every house have? A fridge, of course! By placing a mini fridge in the classroom, you can eliminate the time spent going to and from the teachers' lounge. It also provides you the extra space for birthday field day treats.

Curtains

If your school district’s fire marshal allows it, adding curtains can really make a classroom feel like home. You can hang them over under counter shelving, or cover an area of the room that you don't want seen. They are a fun way to personalize your classroom.

Wall Art

When students have a hand in what is created for the classroom they will be more invested in the class. Have students bring in a piece of old clothing they used to love but no longer wear, and sew them together to make a quilt for the reading corner, or to hang on the wall. You can even have students cut up their fabric and create quilt art and frame it.

Yoga Mats and Pillows

When a child is at home and wants to read a book they usually stretch out on the couch, their bed, or even the floor. Provide yoga mats, and throw pillows for students to stretch out and read or write during certain activities. Yoga mats are easy to stack and put away, while throw pillows can be tossed into a wicker basket.

Overall, it's not about how your classroom actually looks, but how it feels when you're in it. If it feels like your home, then you did your job.

How do you personalize your classroom to make it feel more like home? We would love for you to share your ideas in the comment section below. You never know, you may inspire someone!

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